When you’re designing or prototyping in Play, keyboard shortcuts can speed up your workflow, help you stay focused, and make tasks feel seamless. Whether you're arranging elements on the canvas or building interactions, here are seven shortcuts that’ll help you move faster every day.

1. Duplicate with ⌘ + D

In Design mode, ⌘ + D will duplicate any selected object or group. In Interaction mode, you can use the same shortcut to duplicate an interaction node — or even an entire interaction — by selecting the leftmost node before duplicating. It’s one of the quickest ways to keep your flow moving without reaching for a menu.

2. Hold ⌘ to quickly select child elements

Instead of clicking through layers or groups, just hold ⌘ and click directly on the nested element you want to select. It’s a fast, intuitive way to drill into your design without breaking stride.

3. Hit ⌘ + 1 to center your view on a selected object

If you’re zoomed in or working on a small part of your project, ⌘ + 1 will recenter and zoom out to show the selected object in full context. It’s especially helpful when you want to see your entire canvas or full interaction at a glance.

4. Press 3 or 4 to jump between modes

Switching between Design mode and Interaction mode is as easy as tapping a number. Press 3 to enter Design mode and 4 to enter Interaction mode — no clicking or hunting through the UI needed.

5. Group with ⌘ + G to create layout hierarchy

In Play, grouping isn’t just for organizing — it’s how you define layout. When you select multiple elements and press ⌘ + G, Play will group them into a layout stack:

• If they’re stacked vertically, you’ll get a VStack

• If they’re side by side, it becomes an HStack

• If they overlap, you’ll get a ZStack

Stacks are the building blocks of layout in Play, and this shortcut is the fastest way to create them.

6. Press \ to show or hide the UI

Need a clean look at your canvas or prototype? Hit the backslash (\) to toggle the UI on and off. This is great when you want to focus on your design without distractions — especially helpful when presenting or reviewing your work.

6. Press A to open the Quick Add Menu

Save yourself time by adding objects or interactions nodes through the Quick Add Menu with the keyboard shortcut A. In Design Mode, this shortcut allows you to quickly look through all available elements, native elements, and components. In Interaction Mode, this shortcut allows you to see all available triggers, actions, and prefab based on your selection.

Even if you only start with one or two of these shortcuts, you’ll notice the time savings immediately. The more you use them, the more second-nature they’ll become — and the faster you’ll be in Play. Want to go deeper? Check out the full shortcut list here.